Double Chaos
by Beedok
Summary: Ryoga got Ranma pregnant, and now Ranma has to marry him. Genma has to use his wits to save his son. ...or at least that's what Genma thinks. Splitfic, but with a different enough situation to hopefully be a fun spin.


Genma couldn't help feeling like he'd failed as a father when Ranma emerged from the changing room. The short redhead was visibly pregnant in a high waisted wedding dress. That simply was not how his son was supposed to look.

Ranma gave him a surprisingly convincing smile.

"This is really happening, isn't it?" his child asked, sounding nervous.

"I'm sorry it turned out like this... I'll respect that the path you've chosen is the most honourable option though," Genma said.

If only Genma had given Ranma that replacement Nannichuan water the Jusenkyo guide had sent, instead of using it himself... this problem would have been avoided.

"Pops, I'm okay with everything... So, ya gonna walk me down the aisle now?" Ranma asked.

"I suppose there's no other option," Genma said, sighing a bit. "Well, let's go."

They made the short walk to the main section of the church and the organ began to play as they walked down the aisle. Genma's eyes went to the 'bride's' maids first, where he saw Akane displaying her impressive acting skills to smile away. He could only imagine how crushed she really was. Shampoo had taken her hand, no doubt sharing in the suffering.

Then Genma's eyes slid over to the groom. He couldn't help glaring at the Hibiki boy. The man who was stealing his son's future.

After reaching the end of the aisle and handing Ranma over Genma took a seat beside Nodoka.

"Doesn't she look pretty?" Nodoka whispered as Genma sat down.

Genma tried to ignore it. His wife had been insisting they had a daughter ever since she found out Ranma was pregnant. He wondered about Nodoka sometimes...

As Genma watched the ceremony continue, he swore to himself he'd find a way to save his son from this.

* * *

Ranma stuck her tongue out, making little Yoiko giggle. That sound was, quite simply, the best sound in the world to Ranma's ears.

The ringing of the telephone on the other hand was _not_ her favourite sound.

"Honey, can you get that?" Ranma called out.

"I'm doing dishes. My hands are sopping wet," Ryoga's voice replied.

Ranma scooped Yoiko up, the tiny redhead grabbing ahold of Ranma's shirt with surprising grip force. With her child resting on one hip, Ranma hurried over to the phone and picked it up.

"Hello, Saotome residence," Ranma said.

"Hello son," Genma's voice replied.

"Oh, pops. Yoiko, it's grandpa," Ranma said, smiling to her baby. "So, what can I do for ya, dad?"

"How are you, son?" Genma asked, the question sounding very genuine.

Ranma blinked. What had her father so serious? "I'm good. Just enjoyin' a little marital bliss and all that. Yoiko took her first proper steps last week. Mom told ya about that though, right?"

"So you're telling me you're happy?" Genma asked, sounding like he chose his words carefully.

"Yeah. That's what I'm tellin' ya?" Ranma replied, feeling more confused. "What's goin' on, pops?"

"I... I was at the doctor's the other day. They found a... I forget what the proper term was, but it's not a good result."

"What? Dad? Are... are you okay?" Ranma asked, her voice filling with panic.

"They said there wasn't much to do beyond praying."

Ranma's grip on Yoiko tightened. "Y-you're kidding... right? C'mon, dad... Please."

"I'm not giving up just yet. There's a temple I read about near Takayama that's known for its purifying powers. I was thinking I'd try there," Genma replied. "I'd like to have you come with me though."

"Yeah. Yeah. Of course I will," Ranma said.

"Thank you."

* * *

Ranma stepped off the train, ready to help his father with the stairs. Genma refused the help, but it didn't really surprise the young man. His father was nothing if not stubborn after all.

Trying to look after Genma _and_ Yoiko would have been too much. Ranma was glad he'd left her with Ryoga.

"Should I see if we can get a cab?" Ranma offered as he grabbed the luggage.

"I'm not an invalid just yet. The mountain air will no doubt do me some good," Genma replied sharply.

Ranma shook his head. "Alright, alright."

The pair set off into the city, Ranma following Genma's lead. The walk wasn't too long, at least by the standards of the walks Genma tended to drag Ranma off on, which meant they'd arrived at the forested temple after only a little more than an hour.

Genma made some donations and the pair headed in. There was a short path into the main building of the temple complex. Once in, the elder Saotome produced a small sheet of paper with some of his barely legible writing on it.

"What's this?" Ranma asked.

"It's an old prayer associated with this temple. It's said that any malady can be purified by saying this prayer to the buddhas here. Could you please read it too? For me?" Genma offered.

"Sure, of course," Ranma replied, trying to read it over.

After figuring out how to read it out, Ranma and Genma stepped up to the main buddha statue. Ranma brought his hands together and gave the prayer with his father.

"Let's hope that worked," Genma said, Ranma noticing something a little mischievous in his father's eyes.

He didn't know what to make of that, but it made Ranma nervous. His father's schemes were never thought out very well.

The pair walked quietly out of the main building, and headed towards the exit of the temple grounds. As Ranma reached the threshold something felt strange when he tried to cross out of the grounds. Like he was trying to walk through a net.

His stomach felt like it turned upside down as he tried to pull through it, and then there was a strange pop before Ranma fell forward, nearly stumbling onto the street with the sudden release of tension. It took him a moment to steady himself, and once he had he was left wondering what just happened.

"Wait, is that... is that me? Pops, what the f*** did you do!?" a girl shouted from behind Ranma.

Ranma knew that voice. He knew it very well.

For a moment he wanted to just keep walking. To pretend like he didn't know what had just happened. Even if the denial would only last until the next time it rained. He knew that was a terrible plan though. Reluctantly, he turned around, and saw his female form standing there, staring at him.

"Oh gods... you really are me," the female Ranma said.

Genma stepped over and put a hand on (male) Ranma's shoulder. "You're free now, son."

The black haired young man stared confused at his father. What did that even mean?

"What do you mean he's 'free'? And what does that make me?" the redhead shouted, testing the threshold with her hand before marching over to grab Genma by the collar.

"I, well... I wanted to give at least part of you the chance to live your life as a man. You seemed ready to give it up, and there was a child to think of, so leaving your female side around felt like the honourable option. At least now you'll know that there's a version of you out there living the life you wanted," Genma explained.

"You aren't actually sick, are you?" the raven haired lad asked.

"N-no... I was sure you weren't going to admit to yourself that you wanted out. Admitting you've made a mistake when you've got no way out is always hard," Genma replied, trying to look up at him while pulled down by an angry redhead. "So... I had to come up with a good reason to bring you to a purification temple that wouldn't make you suspicious."

Both Ranmas' had an eye twitch before they both slammed a fist into Genma's gut and sent him flying into a nearby wall.

"I can't believe you!" they shouted in unison.

"I was just trying to help," Genma replied, pulling himself back out from the concrete. "I couldn't bare to see you throw your life away just because you experimented a little and got pregnant."

"Experimented a little?" the shorter Ranma yelled. "I wasn't experimenting! I _wanted_ to marry Ryoga. I... we... do you know how long it took?"

"Getting pregnant was the only way to get out of the 'unite the schools' nonsense," the taller Ranma added, sensing that their counterpart was starting to get too frustrated to talk.

"But... but what about Akane?" Genma asked.

"It was her idea, you idiot," the taller Ranma grumbled. "Well, her and Nabiki. They were the ones who figured out that me getting pregnant would be somethin' neither you or Soun could argue with."

"I... I... but," Genma stammered.

"Find your own way home, pops," the red haired Ranma said. "I'm leaving now."

"C-could I have my train ticket at least?" Genma asked.

"Apparently I need both of them now, so... _no_," the black haired Ranma countered.

With that, both Ranmas turned and stormed off, not quite ready to look at one another.

* * *

Ranma looked up at her male counterpart, sitting quietly on the train headed to Tokyo. She felt like she should say _something_, but... what did you say to yourself?

* * *

The sound of the door opening filled Ryoga with relief. He'd always done his part to look after Yoiko, but being left alone with her was a bit much for him after more than a day or so. Especially with his tendency to forget where he put things. So having Ranma home could only be good.

Or at least that was what he'd thought. Having _two_ Ranmas (one male and one female) walk into the living room was not what he'd expected.

"What... What's going on?" Ryoga asked.

"Pops is an idiot," the two said in unison.

"What did he do now?" Ryoga asked. "I mean... he made it so there's two of you, but-but how? And why?"

"The 'purifying' temple we went to... all because he couldn't accept that I fell in love with you," the redhead muttered. "He thought this would 'solve' things."

"How's this supposed to 'solve' anything?" Ryoga asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.

"He figured I'd leave you and run off to marry Akane at the first opportunity," the black haired Rama explained.

Ryoga opened his mouth, wanting to ask more, when Yoiko began to squirm in his arms, waking from her nap. Both Ranmas stepped forward, though the feminine Ranma was closer, and moved to scoop up the small girl.

"Good morning baby girl," she said. "Are you hungry? You probably are. Come on, momma's got some breakfast for you."

With that, she took the girl into the kitchen, leaving the two men alone in the living room.

"Is she going to be alright?" Ryoga asked, turning to the remaining Ranma.

"Hm?"

"I mean, stuck as a woman and everything," Ryoga explained.

"I'm pretty sure she'll be fine. I... she... we? Uh... dang, I'm not sure how to word that," the male Ranma muttered. "But, uh, the whole deal of trying to get pregnant and then being pregnant had meant being in girl mode for over a year. I don't remember feeling too antsy about it, so I don't think she'll be getting too worked up too soon."

"Ah, I guess that makes sense," Ryoga said, sitting down on the couch. "It's got to be weird for both of you to see yourself wandering around. I mean, it's weird for me, but I can only imagine what it's like for you."

Ranma sat down beside him, staring into space. "It's very weird. I'm a bit too tired from the train to process it properly though..."

* * *

The day had been tense. Ryoga had noticed that neither Ranma seemed to want to be in the same room as the other. After two or three hours the male version had left, saying he needed to go tell their friends about what happened. It was well after dinner when he returned.

Now the pair of Ranmas were sitting silently to either side of Ryoga on the couch, while he sat nervously in the middle, trying to watch the news.

"I, uh... I think it's getting kind of late," Ryoga muttered, glancing up at the clock on the VCR. "We should probably head to bed."

"Bed sounds good," the Ranmas said in the unnerving unison they had occasionally slid into.

Ryoga got up, the others following him upstairs to the bedroom. Once he was there, Ryoga grabbed his pajamas, pulling his shirt off to start changing, when he noticed that both Ranmas were staring at the double bed.

"What's wrong?" Ryoga asked.

"It's not big enough for three," the curvier Ranma replied.

"Oh, uh... well, two people and a piglet would fit," Ryoga offered.

"Well, I suppose," the taller Ranma said.

Suddenly the redhead blushed. "No...no. That's not the best idea."

"Why not?" Ryoga asked.

"Oh. Oh yeah... I'll sleep on the couch," the masculine Ranma replied, joining his shorter counterpart in blushing.

"If anyone needs to sleep on the couch, I can do it," Ryoga said. "I fit better than you do anyhow, Ranma. Er, tall Ranma? Um... I need to figure out different nicknames for you two or something."

"I'd fit the couch the best," the feminine Ranma replied.

"Yoiko's nursery is just across from the bedrooms, and we both know she likes your smells better," the other Ranma countered.

"I... you're right," the redhead replied, her tone clearly admitting defeat.

"I'll go grab some sheets," the male Ranma said, heading off out of the room.

"Uh, good night?" Ryoga offered him.

He turned around a moment with a soft smile. "Good night, Ryoga."

Ryoga then changed into his pajamas and slipped into bed, the remaining Ranma sliding up next to him. He felt strange as she cuddled up next to him, knowing that there was another Ranma stuck out of the couch.

"I still don't get what was wrong with me going piglet?" Ryoga asked.

"You know how I like to wake you up with a kiss and all that?" she said, leaning against his chest and looking up at him.

"Yeah?"

"Well, I'm not usually totally awake when I do that. Having me... uh, him in the bed instead of you beside me... that could be awkward," Ranma explained, blushing a bit.

"I guess we need to buy a bigger bed then," Ryoga muttered.

* * *

Four days had passed and things were still tense. At least it had been agreed that female Ranma would go by 'Ran', both of them agreeing that a shorter name made sense for the shorter 'twin'. Ryoga felt bad about her giving up on her name, especially when they'd spent so long during the wedding plans with Ranma insisting Ryoga take the Saotome name (since Ranma was putting herself through a pregnancy and everything else).

Still, she seemed to be taking things rather well overall. Ryoga was no master of reading emotions, but she seemed pretty stable. Maybe she was keeping herself a bit busy with doting on Yoiko, but she'd always been close to their daughter, so Ryoga wasn't sure if he was seeing things that weren't actually there.

That was why Ryoga was surprised when he went in the bathroom to brush his teeth and heard sobbing coming from the furo. Ryoga stepped over to the door, sliding it open to reassure Ran with whatever she needed.

But it wasn't Ran that he found in the bathing area. Instead the male half of Ranma was there, damp and naked with his feet tucked up on the bathing stool with an empty bucket at his feet.

"I..." Ryoga managed, as he closed the furo door behind him.

Ranma looked up, eyes red from tears. "I... I'm sorry. I didn't think I was that loud."

Ryoga slipped down to his knees and put a hand on Ranma's cheek. "What's wrong? Please... please tell me."

Ranma's eyes met Ryoga's for a moment, before the fell towards the tiled floor once again. "You don't need me around."

"What? Why wouldn't I?"

Ranma still didn't meet his eyes. "She's your wife. And Yoiko's mother. And... and any future kids you'd have... I'd just be an uncle."

"Ranma... I..." Ryoga wanted to dismiss the idea as nonsense, but... Ranma had been a redhead when they'd had the wedding. And when Yoiko had been born.

In fact, Ryoga realised he'd been feeling guilty about his feelings to male side Ranma, as if it were somehow cheating on the other half. Ranma had just spent most of their marriage female (largely thanks to the needs of pregnancy and nursing), so he was more used to seeing 'her' as his spouse than 'him'.

Ranma responded to Ryoga's silence by standing up, getting ready to leave. In the process, however, Ranma showed off his midsection. And something quite important.

Ryoga hopped to his feet and grabbed Ranma's hand as the other man had prepared to leave. "You need to look in the mirror."

"Why?" Ranma asked. "To be reminded that I can't turn back into your wife?"

"To be reminded that you _are_ my wife, either way. And Yoiko's mother," Ryoga said, pulling a resistant Ranma over to the mirror.

With Ranma lined up in the reflection, Ryoga pointed towards his lower torso, and some wrinkly skin interfering with the smooth shapes of Ranma's toned musculature.

"What are those?" Ryoga asked.

"Those? They're stretchmarks," Ranma said.

"And why do you have them?" Ryoga continued.

"Because... they're from being pregnant. I mean, I _was_ pretty tiny. Growin' a kid in there took a lot of stretching," Ranma said. "I tried my best to minimize them, but... couldn't get around the size issue."

"Mhm, they're from being pregnant. With Yoiko. Because you're her mother," Ryoga said. "And some of your pants don't fit right because your hips are wider now."

"I... but the other me..."

"She's you. You're both Yoiko's mother. And you're both my wife. I... I mean, I guess I could call you my husband if you prefer. I know you went with wife before because of how much it annoyed your dad, but if you want to change that—"

Suddenly, Ranma kissed him, a hand on either cheek to hold Ryoga in place. There was a desperation to Ranma's kiss that put Ryoga off for a moment, until he understood why the desperation was there and returned the kiss in full. Ranma's tensions softened, and Ryoga pulled him closer.

Maybe he couldn't wrap Ranma's male form into a protective hug quite as easily as Ranma's female form, but Ryoga was going to do his darndest, height disadvantage be blasted.

* * *

"Yeesh, Yoiko, you're just a mess," Ran said, poking the small girl on the nose.

The girl giggled, with applesauce covering at least 38% of her. Ran leaned in to clean her with a cloth, and Yoiko responded by lobbing a handful of applesauce at her mother. The glob missed Ran's face, but managed to land square on her chest.

"You don't get any points for that one, kid. My boobs are pretty hard to miss."

"Boos!" Yoiko said with another giggle.

"I'm a terrible influence on you, aren't I?" Ran asked, feeling a bit embarrassed about the vocabulary her daughter was picking up.

"Boos!" Yoiko repeated, lobbing another handful of applesauce.

This one landed in Ran's hair.

"Alright, that's bathtime for both of us," Ran said, scooping the girl up.

"Baff!" Yoiko replied, looking quite proud as they left the kitchen and headed into the hallway.

"That was your plan all along, wasn't it?" Ran asked, laughing a bit as she walked into the bathroom. "Wanted to play with ducky did ya?"

Sliding open the door to the furo, wanting to get the baby items set up, she was a bit surprised to find Ryoga and Ranma locked in a kiss that was maybe pushing towards makeout session.

"Uh..."

The other two stopped and turned to her, blushing a bit. And then paling when they realised she had Yoiko with her.

"Heh... hi?" Ranma offered.

"You two wanna take that to the bedroom? I mean, it's softer, and there's no risk of bumping into the cold water faucet," Ran said, honestly trying not to laugh at how embarrassed the pair looked.

"Yeah... that's probably a good idea," Ryoga replied.

Both of them scrambled past, Ryoga hurrying out first. Ranma followed, only to freeze up when Yoiko reached out and touched his arm.

"Mama?" Yoiko said before smiling for a moment before becoming confused and turning to the one holding her and putting a hand on her cheek. "Mama?"

Ran smiled. "Yes to both, little girl."

Yoiko lit up, while Ranma looked confused.

Ranma and Ran sat quietly at the kitchen table, Ranma not sure how to start.

"You're probably wondering how I accepted you're Yoiko's mom too faster than you did?" Ran asked.

"I... yeah," Ranma replied. "I don't remember being all that much better at figurin' things out in girl mode."

"It's simple: we were both a guy first. Some thing or another had me thinking about when we first met Ryo-chan. And I realised we were a guy when that happened, which I wasn't going to be again. I kind of felt like it meant it was _you_ that met him first. But... well, I couldn't just give up my entire childhood to you. So all my guy mode memories were mine as much as yours. And so then I realised you might—"

"Might have thought all my girl mode memories were really yours?" Ranma added.

"Yeah," Ran said, smiling softly. "Now then... I think I'm going to take the couch tonight."

"Are we just going to alternate now?" Ranma asked.

"Um... I guess? At least until we get a queen sized bed or somethin'," Ran replied.

There was a knock on the doorframe towards the kitchen, leading Ran and Ranma to turn and see a nervous looking Ryoga there.

"I'm not interrupting anything private, am I?"

"No?" the pair replied in unison.

"Okay. I wasn't sure with the two of you talking, if, that was, y'know... meant to be internal," Ryoga said, which left both Ranma's just getting more confused. "Anyway, Shampoo phoned. She said Cologne's going to be back from China early to try to help out."

"Wait, help out? How exactly?' Ranma asked.

"To see if she could undo this or not, I'd guess?" Ryoga replied.

Ranma looked over at his female counterpart, feeling like a fool once more. "I... did you think about that option?"

"I didn't... I just assumed this was gonna be permanent," Ran replied, looking as embarrassed as Ranma felt.

"You... I probably shouldn't be surprised. You _did_ get back to Japan before you realised the Nannichuan was a thing," Ryoga replied.

"Not my proudest..." the duo began to say in unison, before realising they were talking at the same time. "Uh..."

*b*

Cologne and Dr. Tofu poked and prodded both Ran and Ranma, both manually or with strange instruments neither Saotome recognised. After what felt like hours, the examiners stepped back and began to discuss their findings. There was enough jargon that Ran and Ranma weren't sure if the conversation slid into Mandarin or not at times.

Finally, Cologne turned around and looked a bit mournful. "I'm sorry, child. The split is quite thorough."

Tofu nodded. "The spiritual connections we could find were only marginally stronger than the connections we'd surely see between you and your family."

"So... we can't get put back together?" Ranma asked.

"I think there's one option, but... it's very extreme," Cologne replied.

"What is it?" Ran asked.

"You don't know that it would work," Tofu said, his tone sharp and normal soft face holding a serious expression.

"It is still a possibility," Cologne countered. "I feel they should know it's an option."

"What is it?" Ranma asked.

"Death," Cologne said. "If one of you were to die, I believe the connection between the two of you would draw the now disembodied portion of your spirit would be drawn back to your surviving half. Whether memories would survive or not... I couldn't begin to guess."

Ran and Ranma both paled.

"W-we're not going to do that," Ran said firmly, grabbing Ranma's hand.

"That is probably for the best," Cologne replied.

"It's _definitely_ for the best," Dr. Tofu added.

*b*

Ranma was alone with Yoiko, and enjoying every moment of it. He and Ran were both getting back to their jobs, Ran taking the waitressing duties, Ranma the dojo teaching duties (though that was going to need some negotiations, judging by the awkwardness that had happened with the womens' class the night before). Lastly, Ryoga was off at his _yobiko_ again, aiming to get into a decent university.

So, that left Ranma to try and teach Yoiko a bit more about walking. He wanted to teach her some martial arts, but had to reluctantly accept that there were a few more years before that could start.

And then the doorbell rang, shaking Ranma out of his thoughts of Yoiko winning her first tournament.

Scooping the young girl up, he turned and headed towards the door. Opening it up, he was surprised to find his mother smiling up at him.

"Hello Ranma. Hello Yoiko. Aren't you two both looking quite pretty today," Nodoka said, her tone softly reassuring.

Ranma found himself blushing. No one had called him pretty in the last couple weeks, what with being a man the whole time. . . a fact that made him wonder about his mother's choice of words.

"Ma, are you okay?" Ranma asked, stepping out of the way so that his mother could come in.

"I'm perfectly fine. Any day I have a chance to come visit my granddaughter is an excellent day," Nodoka replied, stepping in.

Ranma closed the door behind her, before asking the somewhat more awkward question. "You called me 'pretty' though."

"Yes, of course I did," Nodoka said. "Despite your father's foolishness, I'll still see both of you as my daughter."

Ranma felt a confused mixture of emotions, though in the end the emotional mess bubbled into simple confusion as he led her into the living room (which wasn't _too_ much of a disaster with baby toys). "I... is that because I married Ryoga?"

"Well, that's part of it. I could tell you quite enjoyed being a bride. As well as spending so much time as a woman before even getting pregnant," Nodoka replied as she sat down on the couch. "It took me a while to accept it, but by the time you announced being pregnant, I was ready to accept your wishes to live as a woman."

"Huh... uh... that's not really what was goin' on though," Ranma said as he sat down and handed Yoiko over.

"It... it isn't?" Nodoka asked.

"My goal was just bein' with Ryoga. That was easier ta do as a woman, but that didn't mean I was only wanting to live as a woman fer good."

"I... it didn't? But... oh no, and I've been calling you daughter all this time," Nodoka gasped. "I'm so sorry, son."

"No-no. It ain't really like one's any more wrong than the other ta me these days... well, was any more wrong. Now I guess it's pretty clear which one a' me is which," Ranma said, feeling a little sad to say that.

*b*

Ran was tired. Ucchan's had been pretty crazy, and she just wanted to collapse into her bed. And the bus home had been crowded, which was never fun for an attractive young woman in Tokyo, making her really miss being able to switch to guy mode. It had been a gross day overall.

Opening the front door of her home she gave a quiet 'I'm home', before tossing off her shoes. She was a bit surprised when her mother appeared around the corner.

"Welcome home son," Nodoka said.

"Huh? Ma... are you okay?" Ran asked, only to find herself hugged as a response.

"Ma, what's goin' on?" she tried again.

Nodoka broke off the hug and smiled. "I was talking with... well, is it appropriate to say 'your sibling'?"

"I mean, I guess?" Ran replied. "But what about? And, if you were talkin' with him, why are ya callin' me 'son'?"

"You sibling told me that your marriage wasn't about wanting to live as a woman, but instead about loving Ryoga. That you'd been planning to live as both... and, maybe the rest of the world will now treat you as a woman for good, but, to help balance it, I will be treating you as my son," Nodoka replied, her eyes sparkling with determination.

Ran didn't exactly know how to process that, but... she was pretty sure she felt happy with the news. "Th-thank you?"

"Don't worry about it. It's my duty as your mother to give you the support the rest of the world doesn't," Nodoka replied.

Nodoka led Ran to the couch, where the tired waitress collapsed. A few minutes later Ranma appeared with Yoiko and handed the girl off. What surprised Ran was how Ranma's hair was up in a high ponytail with one of her hair clips in it.

"New look?" Ran asked.

"Well, ma said I shouldn't stop myself from doin' cute hairstyles if I felt like it," Ranma replied, blushing a bit while sitting on the ground nearby.

"You might want brighter coloured hair clips, since you've got darker hair than me," Ran said, while seating Yoiko beside her.

"Oh, I suppose... wait, right. This is your hair clip... I should have asked before I wore it," Ranma said, paling a little.

"Ranma... we both bought it. I just hope this means I can steal your t-shirts," Ran replied.

Ran almost found herself feeling sorry for her counterpart. Even though they'd liked being both, they were both more used to being a guy, which left her feeling more open to defying gender expectations from time to time. For him though... he seemed to think he'd lost his connection to femininity.

So it was good to have Nodoka nudging to help out.

* * *

One of the many upsides to having two Ranma's, in Ryoga's mind, was the sleeping arrangement, now that their larger bed had come in. With a Ran to one side and Ranma to the other, his habit of rolling out of bed had been greatly reduced.

The only downside was times like now, when he woke up first and had no way out of the bed without waking one of them up. And a full bladder.

* * *

Akane sat in the Neko Hanten, staring at two small crates on the table.

"Maybe we shouldn't have done this," Akane said, turning to Shampoo who was seated beside her. "Cologne said the odds were good that Ran and Ranma can't get cursed again. Isn't it better just to not try then? Rather than getting their hopes up?"

"Eh, we were almost at the free shipping threshold for the Jusenkyo products we ordered. We practically saved money buy adding these. Shampoo thinks it is better to give it a shot," Shampoo replied. "Besides, already phoned them. They should be here any minute."

"Wait, you called them already?" Akane asked.

"It seemed efficient?" Shampoo replied.

Akane let out a sigh, slumping into her chair. "I need to remember how quickly you enact plans. You're almost as bad as Ranma there."

Shampoo just smiled and then ran a bare foot up Akane's leg, making the short haired girl blush furiously. Akane wanted to protest, but Shampoo's skill at maintaining an innocent face whatever she did always left Akane feeling guilty about making Shampoo stop.

And... it didn't hurt that Akane actually rather liked the attention, she just didn't like to admit it.

The ringing of the front door opening drew Akane's attention up, and she was greeted by the sight of the young Saotome family.

"Ranma! Ran!" Akane said, hopping up to her feet and hurrying over to hug both of them.

"Hey Akane," the pair replied while returning the hug.

"Is there a special occasion I'm forgetting?" Ryoga asked, shifting his grip on Yoiko to make her easier to hold (it amazed Akane to think the girl was a year old now).

"Uh, sort of?" Akane said, stepping out from her hug from Ran and Ranma. "But not one you'd know about."

Shampoo (having finally gotten her shoe back on) hopped up and bounded over to them. "Great grandmother has said that Jusenkyo magic _probably_ won't work for Ran and Ranma, but... that was only a probably, not a for sure, and Shampoo was already making an order from Jusenkyo, so decided to order a little Nannichuan and Nyannichuan for Ran and Ranma, just to try."

"Wait, really?" Ran asked.

"That couldn't have been cheap," Ranma added.

"Bulk discount and free shipping meant it cost almost nothing," Shampoo replied with a grin. "Though if either of you want to put in a few hours of helping out at the restaurant, that would be appreciated."

"Shampoo!" Akane protested. "You can't spring a debt on them like that."

"It was only an option," Shampoo replied, pouting a bit and make Akane feel guilty again. "You are so cute when you blush, _airen_."

"W-well, we should let them go try the Jusenkyo water," Akane stammered as Shampoo was leaning against her arm.

"I think we can handle that part," Ran said.

"We'll go to the bath downstairs, I guess?" Ranma asked.

"Yes, it is empty," Shampoo replied.

The 'twins' set off with their caskets of Jusenkyo magic, heading to the back area. Once they were gone, Shampoo released Akane's arms and slipped over to Ryoga.

"Can Shampoo hold little Yoiko?"

"Y-yeah, sure?" Ryoga replied, passing the fanged little girl over to her.

Yoiko seemed quite thrilled to be scooped up, and Shampoo amused her more with Mandarin baby talk. Watching Shampoo with a baby, Akane felt her heart flutter.

Suddenly she wasn't quite as upset about some of the other Jusenkyo items Shampoo had ordered...

"So, little Yoiko, how are you liking having two mothers?" Shampoo asked, now in Japanese. "Or is it two fathers?"

"Mommies!" the girl replied, grinning happily.

"Oh. Very good," Shampoo said, sounding as if she'd been given crucial information.

Akane slipped over beside Ryoga. "How are you handling having the two of them?"

"It makes looking after Yoiko easier, that's for sure," Ryoga replied. "They still kind of avoid each other a lot of the time though. But when they _are_ together..."

"Fun times for daddy?" Shampoo asked, grinning away.

"Fun!" Yoiko added happily.

Ryoga blushed. "I... uh... that... it..."

"I think you broke him, dear," Akane said, giving Shampoo a judgmental stare.

"Shampoo knows breaking point technique too," Shampoo replied happily.

The sound of the door kitchen door opening drew everyone's attention, and the 'twins' entered. They didn't look very happy to Akane, but she didn't know for sure.

"Did it work?" Shampoo asked.

"I... ain't it obvious?" the red haired one asked.

"Oh, I guess it isn't," the black haired one replied.

"Why not?" the redhead asked.

"Well, we'd have probably ended up switchin' clothes if it _had_ worked," Ranma pointed out.

"Oh... yeah, I guess that's fair," Ran replied.

"I... I'm sorry," Ryoga said, before walking over and pulling both of them into a hug.

"We didn't really get our hopes up," Ranma said.

* * *

Despite the annoyance with the Jusenkyo water not working, the young family had settled into a pleasant routine over the next few months. Ran generally planned her workload around making sure Ranma was home when she wasn't (not for a lack of trust to Ryoga with Yoiko, but, well, she _had_ come home to find Yoiko playing with a piglet more than once).

She did enjoy the womens' lessons at the dojo though, a rare time when she and Ranma were around each other without having to worry about if either was hogging Ryoga's attention.

Talking with Ranma was still weird, but... there was also no one she felt she could be more honest with at the same time. In fact, she almost felt like she owed it to him to be more honest with him than she'd be with herself regularly, and he'd agreed that he felt the reverse. Since her life would have been part of his, and vice versa.

Of course, that need had her nervous right now, because there was something she had to tell him that she didn't think he'd want to hear. Still, the bus towards the dojo was going to take a while and he was going to notice if she stayed quiet.

"You're pregnant, aren't you?" Ranma asked, causing her to almost jump out of her skin.

"I... maybe? Probably. I, I haven't done a test yet, but... how did you know?"

"We sleep in the same bed, I've noticed you hurrying out of bed in the mornings. And I noticed the guilty look in your eyes."

Ran nodded. "It's hard to hide anythin' from you..."

"Well... congrats," Ranma offered with a strained smile.

Ran winced at how sad his eyes were. "It... it'll be yours too."

Ranma sighed. "In theory."

* * *

Ryoga had noticed _something_ was up. Ranma had been sad and distant, especially when Ryoga tried to give any physical affection. Ran, meanwhile, had been looking guilty. It seemed like she wanted to tell him something, but she kept looking towards Ranma and then not saying anything.

Finally, he was alone with Ran, Ranma having taken Yoiko to visit Nodoka.

"So, what's going on?" Ryoga said as he walked into the kitchen.

"Hm?" Ran asked, in the middle of a box of crackers.

"I might not be the _best_ at picking up on subtle cues, but... you and Ranma aren't giving off _subtle_ cues right now. So.. what's up?" Ryoga said.

Ran gave a strange smile that Ryoga couldn't quite read.

"I... I'm pregnant."

"You are?" Ryoga replied, lighting up with excitement. "Oh gosh... we're going to have another baby. That's wonderful."

Ryoga grabbed Ran and pulled her into a hug, trying to remind himself not to squeeze too tight.

It was only while hugging her that his brain clued in as to just how this connected to Ranma's behaviour. The realisation hitting him like a brick. He broke the hug, slipping back to put his hands on Ran's shoulders.

"That's why he's being so distant, isn't it?" Ryoga asked.

Ran nodded. "I tried to say it'll be his kid too, but... I get that that's a bit abstract. Especially if we ended up having another redhead."

"But, it's kind of like if we were to adopt, isn't it? Sure, he didn't have the kid directly, but it's still definitely his," Ryoga offered, trying to solve it.

"No, from his angle, it's more like a step-parent situation. Since the kid is directly yours and mine," Ran replied. "Which, like, would probably work out in time, but it's awkward at the beginning. And... probably would be weird for him to be involved in looking after me durin' the pregnancy."

Ryoga sat down, trying to work out a solution. "Wait, maybe we could say it's more like a surrogate situation?"

"Oh, that could work as a comparison. I mean... if it weren't for Jusenkyo we would have needed to go down that path," Ran replied, sitting down herself. "I bet we'd have ended up arguin' over who'd be the biological dad first."

"I'm glad we didn't have to have that argument... we'd probably have decided to have a second one pretty quick after," Ryoga replied, finding himself growing a bit lost of the scenario. So many things would be different. But so many others would be the same.

"Well, we ended up not waitin' long this way either," Ran said, looking down at her belly.

"I wonder if we'd have decided to keep to the same surrogate without Jusen— I just had an idea!" Ryoga said, hopping up in excitement. "I figured out how to solve this!"

"You did? What are we going to do?" Ran asked.

"I... well, I think I want to surprise him, and if I tell you then he'll probably figure it out... somehow. You two are just on the same wavelength after all," Ryoga said, feeling a bit self conscious about not being able to share his excellent idea.

"Gotta say, I'm a little nervous. I'm usually the ideas guy, so... I don't know _how_ nervous to be about one of your ideas, but... I suspect at least a little," Ran said.

* * *

As time went by Ranma had been growing more comfortable with Ran's current state. It had been jarring at first, but she'd done a good job of involving him. She was frequently double checking things from the first time, having him help with re-reading the pamphlets and such they'd gathered before, and generally sharing anything she noticed.

Ran had admitted that it had been accidental; she'd just been thinking aloud about whether something had happened last time and Ranma had been in earshot to provide input. They'd both been surprised that him getting involved actually helped, rather than making him feel alienated.

These days, Ranma was almost as involved as Ran was. For instance, today they'd been out with Nodoka shopping for maternity wear for Ran (Yoiko brought along because she insisted). Last time they'd mostly just worn guy mode sized clothing, but now Ranma needed those... Ran had still chosen to sneak off into the mens' section a couple of times, though. She wanted clothes for days when she just was missing her masculinity. (And she quite liked Nodoka supporting her.)

After a fairly successful shopping trip, the four of them arrived home, Ranma and Ran calling out for Ryoga. As a reply, they heard a crash and a feminine yelp from the bedroom upstairs.

"What was that?" Ranma asked, turning to Ran.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Ran replied, as she set off towards the stairs.

"Hey, I should be in front," Ranma protested, hurrying after her, but not actually able to pass her on the stairs. "I mean, with you in your condition."

"What condition? I'm only pregnant," Ran protested, having made it to the top of the stairs.

Ranma could only reply with a stunned stare, before managing to scoot ahead of her on the flat hallway.

Ranma got to the bedroom door first, sliding it open to discover a short girl with cool toned dark skin wearing only underwear and an unclasped bra. The mystery girl looked furiously embarrassed.

"I didn't know bras were so hard to clasp up," the girl replied with a fanged toothed grimace.

Ranma and Ran stared in confusion for a moment, before the answer hit them. "Ryoga?"

"Oh my," Nodoka said, having followed a bit behind her children.

"Gah!" Ryoga replied, grabbing a blanket to hide from Nodoka and Yoiko's view.

"So, uh..." Ranma began.

"...why are you, y'know, a girl?" Ran added.

Blushing, Ryoga stammered in reply, "Well, when I figured this could help solve Ranma's feeling left out in regards to any kids we had. When we were talking about how we'd need surrogates without Jusenkyo and whether we'd try to keep to the same surrogate or not... and I realised if we didn't focus on keeping the same mom for our kids, then I could used some Nyannichuan too?"

"Oh," Ranma and Ran responded in unison.

Suddenly Ranma lit up, hurrying over to grab Ryoga's hands. "We can have a Shinto ceremony this time!"

"What?" Ryoga replied.

"Nuh-uh. We should do a Western style. Then I can be Ryoga's maid of honour," Ran declared, sliding in with a grin.

"You can't be your husband's maid of honour," Ranma protested.

"_You're_ planning to make your husband your bride, so I think we're allowed to stretch the rules," Ran countered, sticking her tongue out.

"Wait, why are we talking about a wedding? We're already married?" Ryoga asked, visibly completely confused.

"Why _wouldn't_ we have another wedding, now that we can?" Ranma replied, confused by Ryoga's confusion.

"Well, technically, only Ran is _legally_ married to you," Nodoka replied. "So it's a good idea for you to have a legal ceremony with Ranma too."

"Ooh, Ryo and I could have a double bride weddin' too," Ran said, excited.

"And a double groom one," Ranma offered, now grabbing Ran's hands. "So many possibilities!"

"And we'll get to be dads!" Ran added.

"What?" Ryoga asked.

"Well, if I'm going to be a mom when you and Ran have a kid together, then surely she'd be a dad when you and I have one together?" Ranma replied.

Ryoga nodded slowly. It was clear that he wasn't following, but Ranma didn't mind too much. There was plenty of time for Ryoga to understand.

* * *

Genma hadn't seen his child(ren) in nearly two years. _Apparently_ pretending he was dying and splitting Ranma was an unpopular move. He was still pretty sure they were overreacting.

He could live with it though. He was a self sufficient man after all. Missing out on holiday family gatherings didn't bother him too much, for instance. He still managed to grab any leftovers Nodoka brought home, without having to worry about mucking about in social gatherings.

This left him very surprised when Nodoka announced they'd be hosting this New Year's.

"It won't be cheap, finding a hotel room in town," Genma muttered in reply. "Maybe Tendo will let me stay over at his place."

"You won't have to leave. Our children have decided to let you see our grandson," Nodoka said. "As long as you behave yourself."

"Really?" Genma asked.

Nodoka nodded. "Just remember that both of them are ours. I don't want you favouring Ranma and making Ran feel isolated. And don't play favourites with the grandchildren either."

"U-understood."

* * *

Genma was not prepared to see Ryoga in cursed form as the young family stepped into Genma's home.

"Hello pops," both Ran and Ranma said together, their voices sounding equally strained while they each held a grandchild.

"Why, uh, why's Hibiki female?" Genma asked, glancing over at the dark skinned 'woman'.

"Hibiki? Did you not pay attention during the ceremony? Or... after that at all?" Ryoga asked. "I'm a Saotome now."

"I... right," Genma said, still not sure if he was ready to accept the lad as part of _his_ family. "Anyhow, the question still stands."

"Anyway, he's in girl mode for practice," Ran said as she leaned over and kissed her husband on the cheek. "And keeps him at easy kissing height."

"Yoiko and I will be right back," Ranma said, nudging his way past Genma and towards the bathroom with the young redhead and a large bag.

Nodoka arrived moments later, and began chatting away with both Ran and Ryoga, leading them all into the living room.

Watching Ran holding his tiny black haired grandson as she sat at the table talking to Nodoka, Genma was suddenly hit by his foolishness. There was so much joy in her eyes, how could he have thought she was unhappy before.

"I'm sorry," Genma said.

Ran looked over at him. "Pardon?"

"I... I messed so many things up, all because I couldn't see that you were actually happy," Genma explained.

Ran smiled. "I mean, yes. You did mess up. But we're managing to adapt. At the very least you helped to teach me how to do that in my boyhood."

"We back," little Yoiko called out, causing all eyes to turn to her.

Genma tried not to have a heart attack when he saw the skirt and makeup Ranma was wearing. Sure, Ran was dressed masculine, but he'd not said anything due to her having been born male. But Ranma wearing a skirt?

"You're getting really good at that," Ryoga said, a dumb smile growing across the cursed young man's face, revealing he was as fanged as ever, even in female form.

"W-what are you wearing, boy?" Genma asked.

He suddenly realised Nodoka was glaring at him. "Ranma almost never gets to dress feminine thanks to you. Let her enjoy this."

"You mean... you still like to dress like that, Ranma?" Genma asked as he watched his taller child take a seat at the table.

"As much as I do, since we're the same person and everythin'," Ran replied as Ranma just smiled softly.

Genma let out a sigh. "I _really_ messed up... I'm sorry. I thought I'd only hurt Ran. I didn't know you were hurting too."

"Eh, I'm adapting," Ranma said, prompting Ran to laugh. "What?"

"I said the exact same thing," Ran replied.

"Well, that just hammers home the point that we're still the same person," Ranma said, nodding authoritatively.

Genma spent most of the rest of the evening just _watching_. It was a strange dynamic, seeing both Ran and Ranma displaying physical affection for Ryoga, and the three of them balancing their attention for the grandchildren (although Nodoka was making sure to hold little Kazuma as much as she could).

After dinner, Genma suddenly found himself holding the baby boy, and he could help notice how much the child looked like Ranma had as a baby... at least apart from the prominent fangs that both grandchildren had inherited. He could feel both of his children (which he wasn't sure if he should consider a son and a daughter, both sons, both daughters, or... something else) watching him carefully, as well as his son-in-law (who was confusingly female still, just in case Genma dared to think he had a handle on anything).

"He seems to like you," Ran said.

"He's got a good spark in his eyes, I can tell he'll make a good martial artist one day, just like his... uh... mother?" Genma offered, hoping he'd chosen the right word.

"_Mothers_," Ranma said, with a mischievous grin.

"And his father," Ryoga protested.

"He's in good hands," Genma said. "Three martial artists as parents."

There was a bit of a pause as the trio exchanged glances Genma couldn't quite read. Finally, Ranma spoke up.

"Um... would you be interested in attending another wedding? Or maybe three?"

"Pardon?" Genma asked.

"Well, Ranma and I are going to have a legal marriage, since he's now a separate person from who I'm married to in the eyes of the law," Ryoga explained.

Ranma nodded. "And then we got thinking about a not as legal ceremony between me and Ryoga with us both guys, since that's how we were both born."

"And a both girls marriage, since I want to get an extra wedding too, if Ranma's getting three," Ran added.

"What do you mean I'm getting three? That's two?" Ranma asked.

"You were still me for the first wedding," Ran pointed out.

"Oh. Right," Ranma replied with an awkward grimace. "But, anyway, the point stands, pops. Would you be willing to attend any of those? You might be a bit of an idiot sometimes, but you're still our dad."

Genma found himself smiling. "Sure, I'd be happy to."

"Nice. And you're good with paying for the food for the wedding?" Ran asked, her eyes big and innocent.

"Pardon?" Genma asked, not a fan of finding out he had to pay for anything.

"Well, we wouldn't have to have this wedding if you hadn't turned me into two people," Ranma replied. "So it's only fair you pay for _some_ of it."

"I quite agree dear," Nodoka added. "It would be quite reasonable for them to ask for your to cover the entire cost of the wedding, so they're being quite generous."

Genma let out a sigh. There was no wiggling his way out of this. "Very well, I'll help out."

Both Ran and Ranma's eyes lit up as they zipped around the table to hug him.

"Thanks, pops," the pair said in unison.

"Becoming a grandfather is making me soft, I swear," Genma said, looking down at the baby boy in his arms and then over as Yoiko (who was sitting in her grandmother's lap now).

"Softer and smarter," Ran said, sticking her tongue out.

"I suppose I deserve some sass, after what I've done," Genma muttered.


End file.
